Save Some of That for Me
by blondevor
Summary: Updated Finally! TATE, of course. Pretwilight and as if it never happened.
1. Save some of that for Me

Disclaimer: NCIS is not mine and this is just for fun.

Summary: Kate dances with Mr. Yost. Kate/Tony brief introspective based off events in episode "Call of Silence", spoilers, possible TATE eventually if continued.

Archive: Sure but please let me know where.

Yeah, I admit it, I cried during this episode. What a show!

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"Do you dance?"

I blink a few times. He's talking to you Kate, I tell myself. I feel myself rising up out of my chair. I am moving into the arms of a man old enough to be my father and whom we are investigating for a 60 year old murder. Nothing about this is right but I can't seem to help myself. None of us can seem to help ourselves. Something in this man is snagging on all of us, leaving a pull in our fabric…in our family. I think to myself, it's impossible to factor in every variable. I'm trying to keep the logical side of me on the surface. This is just to make him more comfortable right Kate? But I know that I'm lying because I'm the one that is suddenly feeling vulnerable as he takes my hand in his.

He begins to sing and pulls me a little closer. The tune is recognizable and not. I feel memories floating over me. I'm sure they are not all mine. The lens that I'm seeing them through seems softer as if it is airbrushing any imperfections I might see. I find myself staring into the past over his shoulder. Every lost moment, opportunity, even people are flooding in behind my eyes. Thoughts of Tony enter my mind and while I wish this surprised me, it doesn't. Things have been shifting between us even though I'm doing my best to ignore it. It's like a slow awareness that something is simmering under all that jest and seemingly innocent flirtation. There's nowhere for you to go with that Kate, I tell myself. Remember Rule #12…

Right. I'm not convinced but it doesn't matter right here, right now. I take a deep breath and lean closer into Mr. Yost. I can smell his past too, sitting there, tormenting him behind his eyes. His lens is cracked. He can't see what we see. A hero. A Medal of Honor recipient who saved countless lives in the line of duty. He can't see that it's not his fault; that he was just doing what he could. They are just memories, not Memorex. It's not fair I think. How can time can be so cruel?

He's humming in my ear. I can feel myself opening up inside. My heart recognizing that all truths cannot be found in facts and evidence. This is dangerous, to open up like this. You can't afford to be vulnerable in your job. When you're vulnerable people die. I squeeze his hand just a little bit tighter. He squeezes back and I can't help the tear that slips out of the corner of my eye. As it falls down my face, I refuse, for the moment, to be embarrassed by the show of weakness. Soon now I'll have to shut it all off again. I hope that I can, because I don't know what I'd do if someone close to me here died. Tony. Gibbs. Abby. Ducky. McGee. I know Mr. Yost would understand. He's been there. Oh how he's been there. There isn't anything you can do to change that Kate, I tell myself. Just dance…and so I do.

I'm watching Kate dance with Mr. Yost. I have to admit that I didn't expect her to. It's so impulsive and a little bit unprofessional…and if Kate is anything it's professional. She's probably expecting me to make some smart-ass comment. That would be the usual Tonyway of dealing with a situation like this but nothing about this has been business as usual. There's something about this guy. I can see that it's hit all of us. I'm not the expert in scene sketching for nothing. I'm trying to ignore what I'm feeling right now watching Kate in his arms, watching her soften right before my eyes. I sense before I see the wetness on her cheek. She's so beautiful right then that my heart cracks open. She's not looking at me and I should be grateful for this but a part of me isn't. Because if she was looking at me she would see inside me, she would see that I'm right there with her…right where I want to be.

Save some of that for me Katie I think. Save some of that for me.


	2. Looking through the Glass

Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! I wasn't planning on continuing but here I am. Let me know if you think it works or not. Thank you to the anonymous reviewer who suggested taking it from McGee's perspective. Cheezmunky, you gotta catch that episode, it was stellar. Also if anyone can tell me why some reviews (seems like anonymous only) don't show up I would greatly appreciate it.

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**McGee's desk**

It had been almost two weeks since it had happened. Mr. Yost was back in his regular life but from what McGee could see, he'd left his mark. It was like he made everyone look at their lives through new eyes and a magnifying glass…yeah, examining every little detail to make sure you didn't miss anything important. You would think in their line of work that this would be standard procedure and it was, except that they never turned those glasses on themselves. He counted himself lucky really. The way he saw it he was younger than the rest of them so there was a lot less past to sort through and it wasn't as if he was exactly the risky type anyway. Not like Kate. Not like Tony. And Gibbs, well McGee figured he was maybe most like him. Not that he would ever voice such an opinion because well, Kate would laugh and god only knows what Tony would put him through…but he understood the gruffness of Gibbs exterior and how he used it to protect himself.

Everyone had their way, their method. There were advantages to being the geek. Most people didn't look too deeply at geeks as far as he could tell. Except for Abby of course, but then Abby was just exceptional in general. He liked being off the front burner unless he was with her. It seemed the complete opposite with Kate and Tony. They were on the front line constantly, craved it there, except when it came to "them". And he may be the Probie but he had seen it. He had recognized the looks on their faces, the cracks in their mental armor that day when Kate danced with Mr. Yost right there in the middle of the aisle. He was amazed that it had taken this long, taken a situation like this to make them see it. When that tear had slipped down Kate's face he had snuck a quick glance at Tony to see his reaction. It didn't take an Albert Einstein to see that behind his playful exterior were a lot of deep emotions and that some of them, the ones he guarded most carefully, were directed at Kate.

He and Abby had shared this conversation more than a few times, usually late at night in the lab when they knew no one else was around. Abby had told him to stay out of it, but that if they were betting then her money was on Tony. Oh yeah, he'll definitely crack first, she had said. He had disagreed, stating firmly that hadn't it been Abby to approach him? Wasn't that part of the inherent female makeup? This had earned him a swift pop to his right arm and the demand for another Big Gulp. He didn't mind. If there was one thing he liked about Abby it was her strong personality.

He peered over at Kate and Tony's desks trying to get a reading on where they were at. He had to admit that they were pretty hard to figure out. Kate was busy looking for known connections to their current victim while Tony had been put on location detail. They each had their eyes down, in paper or on their computers. Come on Kate, he thought, don't make me lose this bet. Abby will never let me live it down.

And then there it was.

Tony raised his face to look over at Kate. McGee knew that look. It was the same one he had on his face when he looked over at a sleeping Abby, when he traced a finger on each line of the tattoo on her neck in awe. Tony was a goner.

"Damn." McGee said out loud. He was definitely going to be out 20 bucks.

Tony's face went back to being Dinozzo as he snapped his head toward McGee and raised an eyebrow.

Kate made an unladylike sound and retorted "Better watch that mouth Probie, don't let Gibbs hear you." and then returned to her stack of papers.

He looked over at Tony who was still waiting silently for an explanation for the outburst, eyebrow cocked and fingers twirling a pencil.

"I blew a trace file," and then he looked in Kate's direction, "and Gibbs isn't even here."

Which is good for the both of you, he thought.

"Gibbs isn't WHAT!" Gibbs voice bellowed.

The maker of the rules had returned.


	3. High Risk, No Reward

Wow! Thank you again for so many great reviews! I really appreciate it. Minor spoilers for end of last season This is for those of you who asked for Gibbs and Abby.

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Gibbs smiled inwardly to himself as he walked past a flustered McGee. When would they ever learn, he wondered to himself. Hadn't they figured out yet that he knew _everything_ that went on inside his bullpen? And hell, he couldn't help it that he had impeccable timing. It helped to keep his house in order.

He took another sip of his coffee. Cold. Already. He tried to think back just how many minutes it had been since he had gotten it. Not enough he concluded, it should at least be lukewarm. Wasn't there anyone around here who could make a decent cup of coffee? He set his stuff down and turned back around to go get a new cup.

He couldn't help himself as he walked back past Dinozzo.

"Dinozzo, why are you still here? Haven't you found anything yet?" He demanded and kept walking.

Tony's head snapped around staring at his boss's back, a look of disbelief on his face. What had he done? Someone must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, he thought. Of course when you'd been sleeping alone or with a different wife every couple years was it possible to have a wrong side, Tony wondered, smirking to himself.

"Oh and Dinozzo, wipe that look off your face!" Gibbs retorted without looking back.

Gibbs walked out of the elevator, new cup of coffee in hand, deciding to stop at the lab and see where Abby was with the evidence. Well maybe that wasn't entirely true…he really wanted to see where they were on their bet. Poor McGee. It really wasn't fair that he had made Abby promise not to tell him that he was in on it. Hinky was the word she'd used but hell, he was Gibbs, he had a front to uphold. It wouldn't do for it to get around that his rules were well, just rules, and god knows he had broken every last one of them.

He'd known when he'd brought Kate in that she and Tony would probably form an attachment. Hadn't he when he had first worked with her on One? She was a beautiful woman. A strong woman. An intelligent woman. A passionate woman. A stubborn woman. Not his woman. That one hurt.

He took another sip of coffee. Hot. Finally.

Abby looked up to see Gibbs walk in.

"Hey big daddy!" She said to him over the loud rhymic beat of Morphine.

"Abby, I told you not to call me that." Gibbs retorted. Anybody else, he thought…

"Right. I forgot." She told him, smiling and taking a big sip of whatever highly sugary caffeine laden beverage was gracing her desk for the day.

He knew damn well she hadn't forgotten.

"So where are we Abbs?" He asked her, purposefully being vague. He'd know immediately if there had been any change with those two if Abby went there first.

"Well so far I've processed the DNA samples, ran the fiber through all my known databases…"

"That's not what I meant Abby. The other thing. My rule breakers." He asked her.

Abby smiled. She knew that's what he had really come down for. This was just a game they played so that Gibbs wouldn't feel so exposed. He tried to make it sound like he was playing boss but she knew differently. Hadn't he added his 20 bucks to the pot? Yep. At heart Gibbs was just a sucker like the rest of them but he knew his secret was safe with her. Everyone told her their secrets. It had always been that way. Even Kate. And hers was a doozy. Well, maybe not such a doozy, but since it involved Gibbs it was surely worth a years supply of Big Gulps from either one of them just to keep it silent.

"Oh that Gibbs. Nothing Yet. Nada. Tony is just kinda dancing around it and Kate is being, well, Kate. You know how she is."

Abby gave him that big sort of devious smile. They had never talked about Gibbs' prior relationship with Kate. He was one of the only people that didn't really share his secrets with Abby, at least not when they had to do with Kate, but she was pretty sure that he still had feelings for her. She'd seen him after Ari. It was safe to say that Ari was lucky to be alive.

Why yes I do Abby, Gibbs thought, yes I do…just not anymore.

He straightened his shoulders. He was reminiscing too much. This business between Kate and Tony was getting to him. He couldn't admit it out loud to anyone so what had he done? Joined the bet. It was probably, no definitely, not the smartest thing to do but at least it would cover him from the Kate angle. Gibbs looked at Abby, not changing the stern lines of his facial expressions. He didn't need to. Abby had never been intimidated by him. Thank god.

"And you know Gibbs, they haven't technically broken any rules yet." She pointed out.

Not like McGee and me, she thought. She remembered back to the day she'd broken the news to Gibbs and all he had done was grunt and say "Good, someone needs to make sure you find your way out of that damn coffin." And that had been the end of it. Gibbs seal of approval.

A slightly sad shadow crossed Gibbs face and then it was gone, replaced by the tight straight mouth and sharp blue gaze, but not before Abby had witnessed it.

"They will Abby. They will." He replied and turned to leave.


	4. No Witnesses

Thanks TheGirlCanWrite, I'm glad you liked my coffin comment! Thank you Margaret! Keep the reviews coming. They inspire me. And big huge disco thanks to my beta cpeedster, you rock. Spoilers for "Chained" and I should note that I've taken small liberties with a few details from the episode.

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**3 weeks later, Kate's apartment**

She was back behind her eyes again…she could feel it. She'd put up such a tough front upon hearing that Tony was going undercover as an escaped prisoner. Where had it gone? Normally she would have all the logical answers lined up in a row. He's a colleague. He was assigned to a case. He almost got killed, again, but he didn't. Everything is fine. You should be use to this Kate, she told herself. It's not as if you work in a department store.

Kate shuddered on her couch, pulling the fleece blanket a little bit higher under chin.

Slowly but surely the wall had begun to crumble and now that the case was actually over, it was just bits of memory at her feet. If she was going to fall apart, she wanted to do it alone. She had even asked Gibbs if she could leave early, very out of character for her. He'd simply narrowed his eyes, searching for something in her face, and said "Go". So she'd grabbed her purse and sketchpad and left without another word. She had felt the eyes on her back, especially Tony's. She didn't turn around until the elevator door had closed. They were a small group, she'd heard the whispers.

_Kate is looking a little bit frayed. We've lost track of Tony, should we tell Kate? Does it look like Kate hasn't been sleeping? We need to warn Tony about Jeffrey but we can't. Kate, Tony, Kate, Tony._

It seemed that everyone knew or thought they knew. Funny, Kate thought, but she hadn't realized it until today. Even funnier that there wasn't really anything for them to know. How long had they been editing things for her? She must really be slipping. Or maybe her mind has just been pre-occupied with Tony, her subconscious chimed in.

"Oh shut up!" She scolded herself out loud.

God, she couldn't even escape herself. But the answer to her real question eluded her. Did Tony know?

Sure, he'd been more attentive lately and a little less brutal with the jests. She even noticed that he'd stopped bragging about his latest female conquest. Were all of these things related? Did he know that she was in turmoil? That she might actually be having feelings for him that were definitely out of the scope of their work? And if he did, what did he think about it? Did he think about her at all?

And then there was the flip side to it all. What if he didn't and everyone else did, what did that mean? She and Abby usually talked about stuff like this. She just wasn't ready yet. And if Gibbs knew…she couldn't even wrap her thoughts around that. There was little doubt that he wouldn't be happy about it and with their past…she could hardly blame him. They had loved, not very well, but it had been love. Could she go back to work on Monday and pretend nothing was going on? Could she let the feelings for Tony just slowly die, undiscovered?

Were there enough hours for her between now and then to rebuild her wall?

Her fingers went to her temples, rubbing in small tight circles. All the questions were giving her a headache. Time for some more drugs, she murmured. Maybe she should just try and sleep, get the picture of Tony covered in blood out of her mind.

Kate shuddered again. What this killer Jeffrey could do with a knife…_would_ have done…she couldn't bear to think about it. She pulled her robe tight around her and stood up to go get more Advil when there was a knock on her door.

Knock. Knock.

"_Who's there_," Kate thought, and allowed herself a small, strangled laugh. She didn't want to see anyone, much less talk. She was a mess of red puffy eyes and self-doubt. Definitely not a day to mark in the calendar….no witnesses, that was her rule. Gibbs didn't have a market on that.

She walked over to the door and peered through the peephole. A blue eye stared back.

"Open up, Kate."


	5. Taking the Bait

Reviews make the world go 'round, keep em coming. I had tried to put a little twist in the last chapter thinking that Tony had blue eyes too and you wouldn't know who was at the door but a super nice reviewer, jtbwriter, helped me out with that little error on my part. Thanks jtbwriter! I finally found a publicity shot of Michael Weatherly and discovered his eyes are mostly hazel/green. Oh well. Such is the process. Thanks again for the great support!

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Behind the door Kate groaned. He was the last person she wanted to see right now.

"Go away." She told him.

She knew he wouldn't leave but it made her feel a little better to make him feel unwanted. Hadn't he done that to her time after time? He always had his number one excuse. "I don't mix business and pleasure, Kate," he'd told her, "and right now this is business."

"Could have fooled me," she snarled under her breath. Her lines weren't that easily drawn and his only alienated her…one more reason not to let him in right now.

"What'd you say, Kate? …Look, I'm not leaving Kate. You know that. Now open up or else."

"Or else what?" She countered.

She heard a low growl from outside the door. Good, she was getting to him. If she could just piss him off enough, maybe there was a small chance he would leave. _Right Kate_, she told herself, _because Gibbs is just easy like that. Not likely_.

Gibbs stood on the other side of the door silently counting to ten. He hadn't wanted to play it like this. The sucker part of it was that he was angry with himself for not understanding sooner just how off-balance Kate really was. It had taken all of his willpower to wait until Tony and McGee had left for the night to come check on her. He looked down at his hand, at the photo he held. It had been a last minute idea just in case Kate was having one of her stubborn days and needed prodding to let him in. Hell, he knew it wasn't fair, but then he'd discovered long ago that fair was the exception not the rule. Mostly he preferred the rules.

He slid the photo under the door and waited.

Kate looked down at the small sound of scraping at her feet. All she could see was the back of what looked to be a photo. She took a deep breath, picked it up and started to turn it over.

Gibbs could see the shadow moving underneath the door. _Good, she's taking the bait_.

Kate's other hand went immediately to her mouth to stifle a gasp. Tony! That meant…that Gibbs knew…that meant that he was here to confront her…that also meant that she would have to start looking for another job. Soon. Dammit, she had just started getting comfortable. This was just too low, even for Gibbs. There had to be some rule of his that he was breaking here.

She opened the door.

"What the hell is this Gibbs?" She demanded. "Some sort of joke? Because I'm not getting it! Why put a picture of Tony under my door?"

Two could play at his little game, Kate thought.

Gibbs pushed the door open and closed it behind him, taking in the scene. Piles of wadded up tissues on the living room table and the floor. The fleece blanket he had given her three Christmases ago thrown over the arm. Shades drawn. And Kate's eyes the color of his ex-wives hair. Yeah, he should have seen this coming. He took a step towards her and lowered his voice.

"Why don't you tell me Katie? Why don't you tell me why I felt the need to come check on one of my agents at home?"

Kate gulped and took another step back. In the past he had only called her Katie when he was either very angry with her or feeling amorous and she was pretty sure the latter wasn't case here.

God she was skittish, he thought.

Come on Kate, I'm only here to help you, he thought. Let me help you.

"Look Gibbs. It's been a long week. I'm sorry for leaving early and I promise I'll make up the time next week." She told him.

_Keep it light Kate_, she told herself. _Let him think that he's got it all wrong. Let him think you're just exhausted. Keep it simple Kate_.

"I don't give a crap about the time Kate. I want to know what you're going to do about **that**." He replied and pointed at the photo she held in her hand.

_Think fast_, she told herself, but her thoughts were interrupted by more knocking at her door.

Gibbs glared at the door, his hands on his hips. "Who the hell could that be?"

Kate walked slowly over to the door and peered through the peephole. A hazel green eye stared back.


	6. A Bird in the Hand

Wow, such sweet reviews! Thanks to everyone! Sorry this chapter isn't longer but I'm really really behind on my holiday shopping. Ugh. So the um, crap, will probably just start to hit the fan to use jtbwriter's words. LOL. Charmed, OMG, I didn't even think that it could be Abby but cool idea! Hi Margaret, to answer your question, I am implying that Gibbs and Kate were involved when they worked together on Air Force One prior to NCIS and that the blanket was a present from back then…hope that's not too much liberty smile.

R & R, it's the best gift!

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Could her day get any worse? She opened the door and moved aside.

Tony stepped in surprised at how small and fragile Kate looked wrapped up in her robe like that and then his eyes fell on Gibbs.

"Oh hey boss, I didn't realize you were coming here. I…uh…guess I wasn't the only one worried about Kate here."

Gibbs stared down Tony with a new glint in his eyes. _Does he really think I'm that clueless?_ Gibbs thought.

"No, I guess you weren't."

Kate walked over towards the kitchen, watching the two men face off like usual, even though the situation was anything but usual. Damned that this kitchen wasn't on another continent.

Shit, Tony thought, I didn't expect him to be here. Hell, he hadn't known he was coming here until his car suddenly pulled off the freeway at Kate's exit. He just couldn't take it anymore. There was something about the way she had reacted to his last assignment that had made him wonder if maybe, just maybe, she was feeling some of what he was feeling. He had figured that if he played it right and she wasn't, he could always pull off a Tony joke to cover it up. But now he was here and Gibbs was here and Kate, well Kate looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere far away from both of them. What a mess. He shoved his hands deep into his jean pockets.

Tony looked over at Kate again, putting on a fake sassy smile that he wasn't really feeling.

"Well hey boss, since you're here then I can just..." Tony started to explain lamely.

"You can just what?" Gibbs barked. He'd had enough of these two. It was time for them to come to terms with whatever was going on. "Leave, Dinozzo? Is that what you were going to say?" he demanded.

Bastard, Tony thought, of course I don't _want_ to leave but what choice do I have?

Tony looked back over at Kate who had one hand over her forehead and one hand…wait a minute, he thought, what is she holding…didn't look like the tissue that was all over the table. He walked over to Kate to get a better look. From this distance it looked like some kind of photo. Oh man, if he had walked in on some old lover's spat or something, things were going to get complicated. Real fast. Everyone knew they had been item when they had worked together on One.

Kate looked up into Tony's eyes, forgetting for a moment that she held his photo in her hand. She was so tired of fighting it.

Gibbs stood motionless, waiting. _What did I tell you Abby..._

Tony took Kate's hand with the photo and raised it up, even as she tried to pull it away. The photo fell to the ground, picture side up. Both Tony and Kate looked down, neither reaching to pick it up.

"Me? Why were you holding a picture of me?" Tony asked, looking into Kate's eyes, hoping to see something, anything.

Kate swallowed. It was one thing to be this close to Tony at work and quite another to be right next to him, dressed in her robe, in her apartment. Her skin tingled.

"Um, Gibbs…a little help here?" Kate begged in a quiet voice.

"That is my help. Now I'm leaving. YOU are not." He told them, pointing at Tony.

Kate and Tony stood, shell-shocked.

Gibbs stopped short at the door.

"Never took you for cowards that worried about rules."

And he shut the door behind him.


	7. Out on a Limb

Thank you! Thank you! To everyone for all the fun and great reviews. I hope all you TATER's (lol) like this chapter, please read and review. Feedback and/or ideas would be swell. Warning for very slight mature themes.

Happy Holidays!

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Tony stared at the door, afraid to look over at Kate. What had Gibbs meant? Did he dare to think that the man was actually telling him to go for it?

Kate pulled the Advil bottle down from the cupboard, opened it and took 2, staring into the bottom of her glass. If there had been a more uncomfortable moment in her life she couldn't remember it.

Figuring that he had nothing to lose, Tony bent down and picked up the photo of himself.

He recognized it from a case they had all worked a few months back where Kate had accidentally fallen into his arms. Gibbs had snapped the picture a few minutes later. Tony's eyes moved over his own face staring back, the wide grin that so clearly showed everything. Oh yeah, he'd been happy that day, scared shitless that something horrible had almost happened to Kate but happy as hell that she'd ended up in his arms. It wasn't the way he would have drawn it but it had been better than nothing. That was really the day it had all started.

_What is he looking for?_ Kate wondered, watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"You know Kate if it hadn't been for this day" He told her holding the photo up, "I might not be here right now." And then almost, but not quite, under his breath "how the hell had Gibbs known?" He wondered, shaking his head. That man was scary.

"Gibbs knows everything but don't tell him I said so. It will go to his head." Kate told him trying to lighten the mood. She moved over and settled herself on the edge of her couch. She'd never seen Tony so…serious. Where had the sass from earlier gone?

Kate's robe had slipped slightly open and Tony couldn't help but notice the curve of her breast and the scrap of pale pink lace that covered them. He groaned inwardly. A man could only take so much. He ran his hand through his short hair wondering what to say next.

"Kate…" Tony started.

"Tony…" Kate began.

They both laughed.

"Me first?" Kate asked.

"Sure Kate." Tony nodded.

_Oh God please let her say something I want to hear. I'll promise not to harass Probie quite as much. Come on, just this once. I've been a good boy all year…well…if you don't count that hot blonde bad girl Agent working under double cover a few months back. We're not counting that right? _

"Look Tony, I'm really sorry that I made you worry enough to come over here and check on me. It's just been a hard month and I guess it caught up with me. You know how it is being in the field, sometimes you just need a small break."

It wasn't what she had intended to say. She'd meant to open up. She'd wanted to tell him that she was having feelings for him. She wanted…well, she wanted Tony…but this certainly wasn't going to get her what she wanted. Maybe Gibbs was wrong. Maybe she was a coward. Maybe she secretly liked the rules.

Tony let her words sink in. Not good. Not bad. Not really anything, actually.

He looked at Kate, really looked at Kate, and saw something he would never have expected. She looked scared. Not scared like you saw a ghost scared but scared of crossing lines, scared to tell him what she was really thinking. She was always so strong in the field. He never stopped to consider that she might be nervous like he was but here was proof. He took a deep breath. He'd come for a reason and while he hoped he was right about the reason Gibbs had brought the photo, it had left him an opening he couldn't pass up.

"So what was with the photo then?" He asked her, moving in closer to sit next to her on the couch. They had never sat this close before. He could smell her freshly showered skin and hair and his mind swirled with other images. It was making him feel drunk.

Kate fidgeted. "Oh that was Gibbs' way of telling me to deal with some stuff, that's all. You know Gibbs."

_You're a chicken Kate. He's not buying it._

She's really scared to death, Tony thought. He was going to have to slow down a bit. They could talk more about the photo later.

"I didn't mean the stupid dog comment. Well not in a bad way I mean." He told her.

Kate turned to face him, losing that fight or flight look for a moment. "Right, like you didn't mean whatever smart-ass comment you said before that." She retorted. This she understood. This she could deal with right now.

"No Kate, I didn't mean it to hurt your feelings. It's just that I've been thinking about you so much that your name popped out before I could stop it. I know it's a stupid way to show someone that you care about them, like really care about them, but you know me Kate, I'm smooth but not graceful. And that's what I was coming over here tonight to talk to you about. All these feelings I've been having for you, not knowing what to do about them...and you're the only person that can help me. I wanted to find out if I was crazy to be feeling the way I am. So tell me, am I crazy Kate?" He asked her, his eyes an open book.

So much for going slow, he thought, and mentally kicked himself. But her robe had slipped a little bit more and he was pretty sure that soon he wouldn't be able to put together a coherent sentence. _No time like the present buddy_.

Kate's mouth opened to form this little perfect "o".

Tony waited, giving her time to let his words sink in. There were moments that changed things. He had a feeling this was one of them…and he wanted to remember it, to remember the look on her face right now.

Kate slowly closed her mouth, licking her dry lips. Tony _had _been thinking about her. And if she wasn't mistaken, she had just caught him looking down her robe. Normally that would piss her off but right here, right now, it made her feel great. Tony had feelings for her. Not only that but he had just basically admitted it. Out loud. There were known truths. Tony dated, a lot. Tony did not have feelings for the women he dated and the only thing about them that he ever voiced out loud usually had to do with their cup size or the fact that they were "HOT" as he liked to put it. This was most definitely not **that** Tony. This was a Tony she had never seen but had hoped existed.

Tony shifted his position so that he was facing Kate. _Patience Tony_, he told himself.

She knew that she was over-rationalizing but she couldn't seem to help herself. It was all just a little surreal. She needed to get some kind of a grip on it. Did all of these things mean that she was different? There was no way that she was about to become yet another Tony conquest. Those were office whispers that she couldn't deal with. But he _had_ come over to her apartment…and she couldn't imagine that he would risk his career if it didn't mean that there was something more going on here in his eyes. He didn't even know yet that she shared his feelings and yet here he was, opening up to her.

Maybe there was somewhere for them to go with this. Maybe the rules no longer applied.

"You're not crazy Tony." She said softly, looking up at him from under her lashes.

Tony's face broke out into a huge grin and he took one of her hands in his, squeezing gently.

"Now that's what I wanted to hear!" Tony exclaimed. "But um Katie, as much as I'd like to get right to the rule breaking…I want to do this right and take it slow and that," He pointed to where her robe had slipped giving him a birds-eye view of creamy skin "is making my good intentions well, um, really hard." He finished, grinning sheepishly.

"Nice choice in words Tony." She laughed as she pulled her robe back in place.

"So does taking it slow exclude kissing?" She asked him.

Tony's face formed into the same "o" that hers had earlier and he shook his head.

"Good." Kate said and pulled his face to hers.


	8. Existential Hangover

I couldn't just let it end there…

For all you TATER's, I promise the next chapter will have more good TATE moments. I just had to give Gibbs his due. Thanks so much for the reviews and your patience!

-

**Back at Gibbs house**

Jethro was drunk.

He knew this because his internal monologue only started talking to itself in the third person calling him by his first name when he surpassed moderately buzzed. Well that and the fact that he had a half finished bottle of Glenfiddich next to him and the picture of Kate and him in a sailboat from a few years ago resting on the hull of his boat.

He opened the bottle and took another long swig.

She'd taken him to the lake for his birthday, telling him that if he was going to build a boat he should at least know how to sail one. He assured her he did and she'd told him to prove it.

"What a day that was Katie…" He reminisced out loud.

It figured that the only woman he wanted back was the only brunette he'd ever dated. He hadn't even gotten a chance to marry her.

"Yeah, you blew that one right out of the water. Good work." He complained to himself.

His head was starting to hurt and the sound that his sanding made was making him clench his jaw.

Time to get some rest Jethro.

The problem was that he hadn't been sleeping well and he had to admit, even if only to himself, that he was afraid to close his eyes. Afraid the dream would come back. The one that makes him wake up in a sweat.

The one where Ari doesn't bring Kate back.

He hates that dream. Hates it even more than he hates the idea of what Tony and Kate are probably doing right now. At least in that reality he can walk by her desk…see her smile…smell the shampoo she uses that he used to use after her. Yes, that was much easier to live with then that damn dream. Ari. He should have killed him.

_Next time Jethro…next time, his inner voice told him, trying to soothe the way for sleep._

He looked at the spot he'd been sanding only to find that he'd made a very vague shape of the letter K.

"Have to sand that out tomorrow." He mumbled, putting the scotch back in its place and moving to head upstairs.

It wasn't the first time. It wouldn't be the last. He damn well may be drunk but this much he knew.

-

**The next morning**

Gibbs walked slowly.

Every little movement and sound was brutal to his pounding head. The worst part of it was that he needed to go to the lab and see Abby. She'd have some crazy piece of music on and the 5 seconds that it would take him to get her to turn it off might kill him. But there was no getting around it because they had a pact. The first one with information on the bet had to fess up.

Well he certainly fit that description.

Looked like Probie was going to be date poor for a few weeks.

Gibbs reached for the door, speaking as it opened.

"Abby! Turn that crap off!" He bellowed, scowling at the shooting pain it caused. "Dammit!"

"Whoa Gibbs, what's with the scowl?" Abby asked after clicking the button to turn off the music.

"Not now Abby. They've earned their title." He told her.

Abby jumped up and down, her ponytails flying. She clapped her hands, which only brought her another scowl from Gibbs.

"OH my GOD! This is sooo great! Isn't it great Gibbs? McGee is going to be so bummed. Oh wait, you didn't say who broke first yet did you, but I'm assuming that you and I won the bet. I mean come on, there is no way that Kate gave in first. Right? I'm right aren't I?" Abby rushed out in one big breath.

"Did you breath once then Abby?" Gibbs asked her.

"Hmmmm, good question, but hey! You're changing the subject! Come on Gibbs, this is just cruel." She whined.

"Tony came to Kate's while I was there checking on her. I'd brought the picture. Yes, that picture. He saw it. Kate was in a robe. I told him not to leave. I'm pretty sure that counts as him folding first." Gibbs explained.

"Oh my god, totally. The picture bit was hinky Gibbs but this is just too cool!" Abby gushed on.

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee and rubbed his temples with his free hand, closing eyes briefly.

Abby stopped talking and looked at him.

"You're hung-over." She accused, cocking her head, taking in all the signs. "You left Kate's apartment went home, worked on your boat and got drunk. Am I right?" She asked, taking a big gulp sip and smiling.

"That stuff is going to kill you Abby." He remarked.

"Not as fast as that stuff." She told him, pointing at the coffee.

"Do as I say not as I do Abby. You know that. When are you going to tell McGee the bad news?" He asked right as the door opened and in walked McGee.

"What bad news boss?" McGee asked, looking nervous.

"You owe us 20 bucks." Gibbs told him and closed the door behind him. He smiled as he heard McGee's shock.

"Us?"

It was a small balm on Gibbs wounded ego. It was going to be a long day. Ari and Tony had kept him up most of the night.


	9. Always on a Friday

I would love some reviews and/or ideas on if I should continue this or not.

For all you TATER's, I'm keeping my promise from the last chapter.

* * *

**A few hours later – The Bullpen**

Tony was giddy.

He had a date tonight and not just any old date but a date with one Ms. Kate Todd.

Amazing.

He was twirling his pencil out of habit while trying to decide where he was going to take her. It was Friday after all and he wanted it to be special…I mean, you only got to do a real first date once. No do-overs allowed.

She looked hot today. He'd always liked her in that red sweater and now that he'd had a glimpse of what was underneath, he had a new appreciation for it. He put his feet up on the trashcan under his desk and allowed himself a few moments of pure remembrance bliss from last night. He could not have drawn it any better than the way it worked out and he still could hardly believe it.

First there was the fact that _she_ had kissed him first. Kate had taken control. It was glorious. She was glorious.

And then there was the discovery of just how good she had tasted…He'd never known, well never really thought about, just how good a woman's mouth could taste. Mmmmmmm and Kate, well Kate, tasted incredible. Before he'd just gone in for the kill but this felt so different. He actually wanted to savor the moment. He wanted to come up with a hundred flowery words to describe how Kate's skin smelled and to take the time to figure out if she tasted like vanilla or cherry or something else altogether.

God, she was a woman who would test his control, he thought, remembering how he'd finally had to pull his mouth away from hers. He hadn't been kidding that he wanted to take it slow.

No one would ever believe it. Oh Kate might in time but he didn't want to scare her off just yet. Who would have thought that _she _would be the one to bring out his romantic side. He wished he'd paid more attention in that college poetry class now.

Amazing.

So where to take her?

Tony pulled himself up out of his chair, leaned over to whisper to Kate, looked left, looked right, when…

THWACK!

Gibbs smacked him on the back of the head.

"Grab your gear, we've got a body."

"Ouch Boss! Could we not make that a habit?" Tony asked.

Gibbs stopped walking, turned back to Tony and narrowed his steel blue gaze.

Kate stifled the small smile that wanted to come out, not because she liked seeing Tony get thumped, because as of yesterday she most certainly did not but simply because she was glad that not _everything _had changed since last night. Still, it was a bit childish of Gibbs to take it out on Tony.

"What would you prefer Dinozzo?" Gibbs retorted, clearly not expecting an answer, since he had already started walking away.

Tony looked over at Kate, moving his lips mimicking Gibbs parting shot.

She grinned at him for a second but then put her finger up to her lips to tell him not to push it. They were already skating on thin ice with this whole dating thing.

Gibbs practically punched the elevator button.

"When you two are finished over there, maybe we could try and get to the body BEFORE it decays!" He bellowed.

Kate jumped up quickly grabbing her gear and motioned to Tony to do the same.

Tony scoffed, grabbing his bag. Always on a Friday. Did every dead body needing their attention have to show up at the start of what was _suppose _to be the weekend? If this messed up his date with Kate tonight...

"But Boss we're just getting started…" He hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Kate looked stunned, stopped in her tracks, like a rabbit in front of a moving car. Ok, maybe it would have been better if certain things had changed since last night…like Tony's big mouth, she thought.

Gibbs just turned his back to them, facing the elevator, muttering to himself too low for them to hear.

_"That's what I was afraid of…" _


	10. Getting to Even

Sorry, sorry, sorry that it has been so long since I've updated!

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback. I promise some GREAT TATE is coming soon.

R & R pretty please!

* * *

**Outside NCIS**

Tony and Kate were trailing just behind Gibbs and Probie on the way to the cars.

With any luck Tony thought, the body will be far enough away that Kate and I can get in some good alone time. He smiled. There were definite perks to dating someone that you worked with, like close proximity.

"Kate you're with me. Tony, you and Probie get the van. Abby will send the location to our GPS." Gibbs instructed, yelling over his shoulder.

Tony stopped walking and Kate just stiffened her shoulders and kept going.

"But Boss…" Tony whined.

"You got something to add here Dinozzo?" Gibbs inquired, turning to look at him, daring him to speak.

Kate had already reached Gibbs' car and Tony could see she was equally unhappy with the designated seats. Tony sighed. He hoped she gave Gibbs an earful.

"Nope Boss. Well that's not entirely true…" He continued.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"Probie has a personal problem with gas, that's all." Tony finished, placing a slightly too large lopsided grin on his face.

Probie stopped in his tracks, his face turning bright red, dropped his bag and then picked it up again.

"I do not! This is ridiculous!" He continued, sputtering. "You," he pointed at Tony "are like a 5 year old who just got his toy taken away! No you're worse than a 5 year old!" Probie continued.

Gibbs barely contained the smile that threatened to creep up. Leave it to Tony to diffuse one situation and create another. He almost felt bad for Probie. Almost. Last week it had been something about bad breath and he'd nearly laughed out loud when he'd caught Probie with breath mints in his pocket yesterday morning. What a group. It didn't mean he was going to let the two love-birds have a go at it though. Hell no! They could damn well wait until after hours. He could still hear Probie yelling as the car doors shut their conversation off from him.

Kate was waiting for him in the passengers seat, her hands neatly folded in her lap.

Gibbs got in and prepared himself for the outburst he knew was coming.

Kate waited until they were merging on the freeway to speak. She'd had to count to ten 21 times before she felt she could open her mouth without screaming. The man knew just how to push her buttons.

"So _just_ how hard are you going to make this Gibbs?" She asked him, turning to look at his profile while she held on for dear life. The man was a menace on the road.

His face didn't move a muscle, giving away absolutely nothing.

"Not now Kate." Gibbs told her. He meant it too. He was not going to discuss her personal relationships at work. That was why he had gone to her apartment _after_ hours, that and the fact that he didn't trust himself to stay impersonal, to speak only as her boss.

Kate counted to 10 twice more.

"YOU are the one who started this whole thing. Well mostly…and now you don't want to talk about it?" She demanded. The man was infuriating. Everything had to be on his terms, by his rules, on his turf. No wonder their relationship hadn't worked out. He was insufferable.

"That's what I said Katie." He replied.

Shit.

He hadn't meant to call her Katie. That was twice now in 2 days. Hell, maybe he should have let them drive together. It couldn't have done more damage than he was doing.

Kate turned and looked out the window. They were back to Katie now huh, she thought. If she didn't know better she would have thought Gibbs was still in love with her…and then scoffed for even entertaining the thought. Two could play at his stubborn game.

"Fine." She told him in a firm loud voice. "But I'm not going to let you mess this up for me JETHRO. I'll quit first."

Gibbs turned to face her, their car swerving out of their lane and Kate grabbing for the handle in the corner again giving him a dirty look.

"No you won't Kate." He told her, returning his gaze back to the road and their car back to its' lane.

"Oh really?" She questioned, her voice full of righteous indignation.

"Really." He calmly replied.

"And what makes you say that?" She asked, her voice almost mocking.

"Because I won't let you." He said.

Kate smiled inwardly. He was one stubborn son of a bitch when he wanted to be. A trait she both loved and hated about him. She believed him too, more so she believed that he believed he could stop her if that was what it came to. But she had meant what she said. She wouldn't let him mess up her budding relationship with Tony. All of her inner female signals were telling her that this was for real, that whatever she and Tony were doing was right. More than right, she thought, more like destined. Not even for Gibbs would she let that slip through her fingers. She smiled again, this time on the outside and turned to look at Gibbs again.

He had a wary look on his face, probably wondering why she was smiling.

"We'll see about that but I wanted to point something very important out to you." She countered.

"Oh and what's that?" Gibbs asked.

"In case you hadn't noticed, we're talking about it." Kate told him and smiled like a Cheshire cat.


	11. Anything but Standard

Hi everyone, I know it has taken a few short chapters to get to the TATE but I hope it will have been worth it.

Also, let me know if you think I need to change the rating to "M".

Please, pretty please, R & R!

* * *

**8 Hours later**

It had taken two body bags, a long story from Ducky about the finer points of ancient Egyptian mummification and 3 coffee runs for Gibbs to finally end their Friday. Tony looked down at his watch, 9:51 PM, not his latest Friday night date, but certainly not how he had wanted their date to start.

He glanced at Ducky in the vans driver's seat and then over to Kate. He was really really hoping that she was still willing to go out.

Kate smiled at Tony through a haze of sleepiness, seeing a quick flash of doubt cross his features. She looked down at her watch, back over at Tony, and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't turn into a pumpkin. Do you Tony?" She asked him in a teasing voice.

Damn Gibbs and his thoroughness! It was late and she just didn't have the energy to primp herself up and change into that short sexy black skirt she'd brought along which showed off more than just a little leg. Not to mention the fact that she couldn't seem to get the smell of whatever the killer had tried to mummify the body with off of her. Real appealing Kate, she thought. But there was no way she was going pass up spending a few hours alone with him tonight. He'd just have to take her "as is".

Tony laughed. "Not lately Kate…although too much of Mama's Italian Kitchen and we may have a problem. However, that said, I'm really craving her gorgonzola gnocchi. What do you say?"

He was trying to keep his tone light and just a little flip for Ducky's sake. He didn't mind him knowing about them but he didn't need a whole dissertation on courting and a woman's honor. He had his own detailed plan for his courtship of Kate and it wasn't a group project.

"That sounds perfect Tony."

Tony took another glance at Ducky and found him silently driving with a broad smile across his face. Ok, so it wasn't a group project but he was still glad to see that Ducky approved. They were like a family after all. Ohhh kinky Dinozzo, he thought to himself, as his mind turned back to Kate.

**A dark corner of Mama's Italian Kitchen**

Kate watched Tony gorge on his dish, loving the way he made sure to get lots of sauce on every bite. This was a man who did everything with gusto and she just couldn't help herself from wondering how he would be in bed. Not that this was the first time the thought had entered her head but now it was more like "when" rather than "never". Vivid images of Tony gorging on _her_ instantly flooded her mind and she felt herself flush.

Tony looked at Kate across the small table. The way the candle lit her face seemed almost cliché but that combined with the private little smile she was wearing made her just too beautiful for words. He felt like the luckiest man alive.

He put his fork down and reached across for her hand.

Kate in turn reached across the table with her other hand and rubbed her thumb at the corner of his mouth. His tongue came out to meet it and Kate felt her heart rate double.

"You had a bit of sauce right…" She started to explain when he cut her off.

"Kate, no need to explain. I love you touching me. Touch me anytime the mood strikes whether it's for sauce and keeping me fit for public places or just because you want to." He told her, still holding her other hand and making tiny circles on the top of it.

Kate swallowed. For a split second there she'd thought he was going to tell her he loved her! How insane was that? What was happening to her? Tough as nails Kate had been swallowed whole by this entirely new Kate, the Kate that had fallen for Tony…this Tony, the Tony who held her hands while they ate dinner.

"Um, ok. I guess I'm still getting used to this." She told him honestly.

"I understand. I just want you to feel comfortable that's all. You know me Katie, I'm a touchy feely kind of guy. Kind of like this…" He continued and leaned over the table to gently kiss her lips.

Tony felt Kate respond, pressing her slightly open soft lips to his. He angled just a little bit more so he could deepen the kiss. When he felt her open her mouth to his, it was almost too much for him to take. Easy there big guy, remember you're in a restaurant, he told himself as he reluctantly let her mouth go a few minutes later and sat back down.

He let go of her hand but moved his leg closer to hers under the table. He could feel the heat radiating from her skin through the thin fabric of her slacks. Last night all his dreams had been fantasies of feeling that heat all over him. Kate on top. Kate on bottom. Kate in his shower. Kate up against the doorway. This taking it slow stuff was killing him.

Kate pressed her thigh to his as she stared into his darkening eyes. Oh yes that was desire she saw there, just as she knew he saw it in her eyes. There was no doubt about it. Anthony Dinozzo could melt hearts with those lips and that mouth of his, even when it was busy sassing someone in the bullpen. Hadn't it melted hers in such short order?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a female voice.

"Tony! Long time no see."

Kate looked up to see a very busty blonde in a short pink skirt and low v-neck top seductively eyeing Tony. Oh this should be interesting, Kate thought. She knew Tony's track record all too well and wondered just how recent a conquest this one had been.

"Oh hi Tessa, yeah, long time. Um, I've been working on something very important actually." Tony told her, reaching across to pick up Kate's hand again.

Kate raised her eyebrow just a bit and turned to smile at the competition. Yes, very interesting indeed. She was fairly certain that this woman had been labeled "hot" by Tony at some point.

"Tessa, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Kate. Kate, Tessa. Tessa, Kate."

Kate turned her shocked face back to Tony but said nothing. The look wasn't lost on Tessa who seemed utterly nonplussed.

"Girlfriend? I didn't know you had it in you Tony…if I had…well, anyway. " She replied.

Tony didn't wait for Kate to respond or for Tessa to continue. He just trudged ahead. He had a point to make.

"Yeah well, Kate is special. She always has been. I was just waiting for the right time andfor the right girl and now I have both. Nothing personal Tessa." Tony told her, wearing his standard Tony grin that Kate was starting to understand was anything but "standard".

Tessa looked like she didn't know quite what to say and Kate couldn't blame her. She didn't know what to say either.

Girlfriend?

Tessa turned to leave. "Nice meeting you Kate. See ya around Tony."

"I doubt it Tessa…I doubt it." Tony told her and turned to a still stunned Kate.

This evening was turning out even better than he had expected.


	12. Setting the Record Straight

Thanks to everyone for the great reviews! I really appreciate them. **Jtbwriter**…the "off the market" part is for you from your last review...he he he he.

Please, pretty please, keep up the R & R!

* * *

Kate waited for the blonde to get out of earshot before she spoke. 

"You want to explain to me what that was all about?" She asked, not letting go of his hand.

"Just setting the record straight Katie." He told her, looking deeply in her eyes. He knew he was surprising her. Hell, he was surprising himself.

"And what record is that Tony?"

He loved the way her responses were still totally Kate, still sassing him just enough to keep him on his toes. It was just one more reason to keep her as close to him as possible. He'd worked with her long enough to know that he wasn't the only male on the planet enamored of her. There was that guy Phil on the second floor…and Jim, the FedEx guy…and there was still Gibbs.

Gibbs. He was the biggest variable in all this and the one that could pose the largest problem. But Tony forced himself to push their Boss out of his mind for now and return to the point he'd been about to make.

"Like they said in the movie 'Top Gun' Katie, you saw 'Top Gun' right? I mean everyone saw 'Top Gun', right?" Tony asked looking genuinely worried that she might not have seen it.

"I saw it Tony." Kate told him, not adding that she'd seen it 3 times…in the theater. He did love his movies, always the ones with the strong male characters too.

"That boy is off the market!" Tony quipped, giving the worst Meg Ryan impression Kate had ever heard.

She loved this playful fun side of him, just as much as she was falling for his serious side that seemed to sneak in and surprise her at crazy times.

"I thought we were taking it slow so I'm a little confused." She told him.

"Slow and steady Katie but that doesn't mean that I want to have to share you with anyone else. I mean we do work together. I see the looks you get. You're hot Kate." Tony continued, seeing the doubt cross her features.

"Oh you are most definitely hot Kate. But better than hot, you're smart too and with that sharp wit of yours, who wouldn't want you? I just never said it at work before because…well…one, you probably would have thrown something at me. Like a stapler, your favorite stapler, you know, the heavy one. And two, it would have totally let everyone see right through me, see just how much I was into you. And no, I'm not just copying the rest of the movie because if I was I would have said "fallen for you", which while true, I did not say just so that you would know that I wasn't just copying the rest of the movie." Tony finished, flashing her his pearly whites.

Kate laughed and was about to speak when Tony interrupted her.

"But seriously Katie, this thing between us has been building for awhile now and now that it is real and out in the open, there is just no way that I could stand seeing you out on a date with someone else or even hearing about it. And on top of it, I don't have any desire to spend my time with anyone but you. Maybe that's a better way to say it. I'd like to think that the time off we have will be spent together. What do you say Kate?"

Kate watched Tony's face. He went from being silly to looking vulnerable in a split second and not like he was playing vulnerable just to get what he wanted. Also he kept switching off with her name, calling her Katie when he was being more on the mushy side and then Kate when they were back to negotiations, like when they had decisions to make at work. Very interesting…Gibbs had done the same thing back when they were together, still did for that matter.

But she wasn't going to let him off quite that easy. She hadn't been a "girlfriend" in awhile and if she was one now, she sure as heck wanted to know about it!

"So what's with the title Tony?" She asked innocently.

He looked confused for a second and then the light went on.

"Ohhh you mean me calling you my girlfriend? Well you are Katie, at least to me. If you don't like me saying it out loud then I guess I'll have to try not to, but you know I'm not good with holding stuff like that in. And you're the girlfriend type, you know. You're the kind of woman a man marries, not like Tessa who's just the…well you get my point…don't you?" He explained lamely. He felt himself getting nervous. What if she didn't want to be his girlfriend yet? What if she wanted to date other people?

_Who's the chicken now, Kate thought, remembering back to her apartment the night before_.

"Oh I get your point Tony but that doesn't really clear things up." She told him.

Tony leaned back, bouncing one foot up and down under the table. What does she mean that doesn't clear things up?

"You lost me Katie."

Did she bail him out or let him figure it for himself? I mean, this was a pivotal moment, Kate thought. And it could set the stage for many other important moments in the future. He _had_ said he was falling for her…well in a roundabout way…but she needed more.

"You'll figure it out Tony." Kate replied with a smile on her face.

"Awwww come on Kate, this is killing me! This is new territory for me, don't just leave me hanging like that." Tony whined.

"Finish your pasta over there lover boy. I'm beat. It's time to put me to bed."

That got Tony's attention. He sat up straight, cocked his head and grinned.

"Alone Tony." She said firmly and then added, "at least for tonight."

Tony's face fell then lit up again.

Kate laughed. "You're so easy Tony!"

"So does that mean that you're going to fill me in?" He asked hopeful, scooping his last bite of gnocchi up.

"Nope." Kate replied amazed at how easily they had fallen back into their work banter. It was going to be complicated balancing things, she was sure of that. They had their work and now they had their "relationship". And even though she had hated them with Gibbs, she guessed that they would have to draw some lines, where she didn't yet know. They'd just have to figure it out along the way.

"Can't blame a guy for trying Katie." He said softly and Kate leaned across the table to press her lips to his. He tasted like gnocchi and a whole lot of promise. It was a heady combination.

"I'd be really hurt if you didn't." She replied, her face an inch a way from his, staring into those hazel green eyes.

Girlfriend…Kate thought…yeah, she could get used to that. But he still had to ask her.


	13. Abby for President

I'm so glad that you liked that last chapter! I really wanted to put them in the sack but figured that might make it seem a little sleazy. Ha. Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming!

* * *

**Abby's Lab**

"Come on Abby, you have to help me. This is total female voodoo stuff." Tony whined.

Abby looked at her friend through her safety glasses, weighing the consequences. If she helped him and Kate found out then she might cancel their already rescheduled spa trip coming up…but if she didn't help him then her best friend would be stuck where she was today, waiting for the guy she loved to get a clue. She knew how stupid men could be about these things. It had taken Timmy a whole month to figure out that the new router she'd left on his desk meant she liked him.

Men!

What to do though?

"I'm serious Abby. I need to know what Kate meant. This is important to me. Plus you owe me for the whole bet thing. I saved you from Kate's wrath on that one." Tony pleaded.

Abby contemplated a little more, took a big gulp sip, and decided to help the poor guy out.

"It isn't brain surgery Tony. With all your experience with women you would think YOU could figure it out. This is why women should rule the world." Abby continued.

Tony rolled his eyes, making the "come on, come on" gesture with his hand.

"Oh fine Tony! See, one more reason, men just aren't patient enough. You introduced Kate as your girlfriend to some chick you had slept with right?" Abby asked.

Tony gulped inwardly. "I never said I slept with her. Is that what Kate said?"

Abby cocked her head, pigtails swaying. Interesting.

"Well no but I'm making an assumption here based on Kate's description of her and the statistical probability that you _didn't_ sleep with her knowing how you are. So can I continue?"

"Um, yeah. Go ahead Abbs." Tony said in a small voice, feeling his cheeks turn slightly pink.

"So you did sleep with her. See, I knew it. So anyway, you introduced Kate as your girlfriend but had you ever actually talked to her about it? I mean you guys just started dating and you've decided all on your own that the two of you aren't going to be seeing other people. Did you even stop to think that maybe you should ask her?" Abby told him.

Tony cringed.

Abby's voice was voice getting that edge to it that told him he had one of two options to exercise ASAP. One, jet out of the lab as quickly possible to avoid getting chewed out for being well, male, and two, to stay and just take it while trying to glean more information.

But he'd already figured out what the problem was and his mind was working overtime on the perfect way to fix it. With some serious romancing…lots of over-communication as he liked to call of it (he was learning that with women, this was status quo) and the perfect environment for it all to happen, he was pretty sure he could get Kate to agree to be his "steady". She just had to…he was sure he would go nuts if she didn't…just this morning the FedEx guy had winked at her, again. He couldn't take it anymore. He just had to know that she was his.

"You know Tony, this is the 21st century. Women liked to be asked about these things…" Abby continued.

At that moment, the lab door opened and Gibbs walked in.

Tony was no fool and took the out given him.

"Thanks Abbs, you're the best! Next time I'll ask before messing with one of your fancy dials!" He finished, throwing the white lie in to try and save himself from a later talk from Gibbs about discussing personal issues on business time or worse yet, another slap to the head.

"What's going on down here!" Gibbs demanded.

"Nothing Boss." Tony told him as he slipped out the door.

"Abby?" Gibbs continued.

"Nothing I can't handle Big Daddy." Abby quipped.

"Abby what did I tell you about the name." Gibbs retorted.

"That you like it?" Abby joked.

"Not likely." Gibbs finished, ending that particular discussion.

"So where are we with the wrapping that was covering the body?"

Abby smiled. She'd get back at Tony later for bailing out after he'd gotten the jist of the problem.

"Well…first I had to identify the fiber content…" She went on, quite pleased with herself.

Men were so simple sometimes, she thought, so easily distracted from the really important things. Kind of like the _first_ time she'd bitten Timmy's shoulder just a little bit too hard and it left teeth marks and he'd started in on the whole vampire thing again. All she'd had to do was push him face down on the pillows and pull out the strawberry massage oil that he really liked. He was a sucker for back rubs. He hardly even noticed the next time she bit him.

It was totally sweet being a girl.


	14. Texas Hold 'Em

Forgive me for the lapse of time between the last chapter and this one. Twilight pissed me off so much that I just wasn't sure I wanted to continue. And next weeks episode with whatsherface and Tony going undercover…arggggg. That said, screw them, Enjoy! And thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews and your patience, keep them coming! And to save me any flames, blonde's forgive me. I'm blonde myself.

* * *

**Tony's Apartment – Saturday 4:00 PM**

"Candles. Check." Tony spoke out loud to himself, his pencil making yet another mark on the pad of paper he held.

He smiled. This wasn't so hard.

"Wine, white chilling, red NOT. Check." One had to be prepared for everything.

Mentally he added another item. Shot of Tequila before Kate gets here. He would need it if his nerves were any indication, because _they_ were shot.

Not so hard buddy? Who are you kidding? He wanted, no needed, everything to be absolutely perfect.

It had to be romantic but not cheesy.

Fun but not necessarily funny…well, at least not in that bad way like the stuff Gibbs might think was funny. He definitely didn't want that to happen. Talk about a mood killer.

And soulful, it definitely had to feel soulful. He wasn't entirely sure that was a word but he was counting on Kate to get the jist of it. He'd already blown it once at the restaurant with what's her face. He didn't know just how many chances Kate would be willing to give him but he wasn't willing to waste one.

So what was he supposed to wear?

There wasn't any protocol that he knew of for when you were going to ask someone to be your girlfriend. Actually he felt kind of silly even thinking about stuff like this but he'd heard Abby and Kate talking. Women definitely thought these little details were important. Too casual might indicate that he didn't care enough to dress up. Too dressy might make her think that he was just trying to butter her up for sex.

No, he definitely couldn't risk screwing this up.

Tony twiddled the pencil around between his fingers.

Maybe it wasn't sooo different from his lucky pair of jeans…the one's that were just tight enough right around…

Dinozzo! Mentally he slapped himself behind the head since Gibbs wasn't around to do the honors.

This was about he and Katie. This was about his future. This was about _their_ future. This was NOT about his lucky jeans and the particular kind of luck they brought him.

He smiled again though. He'd have to wear them for Kate sometime, just to get her opinion of course. She'd probably call him a pig or something more profound in an "I really like you" kind of way but that was ok just as long as they worked their magic.

Hmmmm, maybe he'd have to hold off on that. He wanted magic and fireworks more than anything with Kate but like he told her, all in good time.

"Speaking of time…" Dinozzo mumbled, checking his watch for the fiftieth time.

This waiting stuff was for the birds.

**Kate's Apartment**

"Too trashy." Kate said, tossing the purple and black lace bra back behind her on her bed.

"Too virginal." She scoffed, the every day white cotton bra joining the previous one behind her.

Slowly but surely, a small pile of discarded choices was growing.

Who knew it could be so hard to pick out a bra to wear on a date, Kate thought.

_Well maybe it's because it is not just any date you are going on. Maybe you've got plans for someone to see that bra you're having such a hard time picking out._

"Oh shut it!" Kate admonished herself.

Her fingers held up a simple chocolate colored satin bra with a tiny feminine bow in the center. It had just enough plunge and lift for that low-neck dress she had picked out to wear. Blonde bimbos weren't the only ones who knew how to work it.

Finally satisfied, she put it around her wrist and went in search of the matching g-string. A girl had to have her standards.

And Anthony Dinozzo definitely met her standards.

Kate smiled the smile that women wear when they've gotten something they really wanted. Like that perfect pair of sexy sling-back Manolo pumps on sale at Nordstrom.

Not that Tony was a possession or anything like that. Kate shook her head at that thought, the smile not quite as satisfied as it had been before. She wasn't shallow like that…was she?

No, no, no. It was all this new Kate's fault!

The version of herself that suddenly felt more empowered by her own feminity than the gun she strapped on while at work. The one who was spending as much time picking out which bra to wear as she did writing up reports for Gibbs.

How many days had she sat across from Tony at her desk, dodging wads of paper and sassy remarks, just wishing for **this** kind of attention from him?

Too many too count, definitely mortifying.

But now, here she was, getting ready for her next date with him. So maybe wishing worked sometimes, like breaking the rules.

So much had changed, was still changing.

She still wasn't quite sure what to make of Gibb's behavior at her apartment and after. She had a hard time believing that he would really just throw in the towel on Rule #12. Even more hard and disgusting to believe was that she found it a little disgruntling that he'd gotten over her so thoroughly.

Oh sure, it didn't make much sense to think like this when she was head over heels for Tony, but it certainly hurt her female ego just a bit to think that he didn't care if she was with someone else.

And especially someone else from the team…most especially Tony, it just didn't add up.

If she admitted it, her nose still wrinkled at some imaginary smell whenever one of Gibb's random redheads walked into the bullpen.

Kate straightened her back.

"Get over it!" She chided herself.

She had Gibbs approval or some semblance of it, no matter how hard he made it on them. That was what mattered. That was ALL that mattered.

She was NOT going to think about Gibbs. Right now she had 2 hours to get beautiful for Tony.

_And sexy…don't forget sexy…_

Kate smiled at her image in the mirror above her vanity.

"Finally we agree!"


	15. Double Trouble

All the standard disclaimers apply.

Thanks for reviews! It's been forever but I have a good excuse. I got married and the planning of it all ate my muse.

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**Later**

Gibbs tried to smile as he sat across the table from his latest redhead.

Why had he called her again?

Oh yeah, because the lizard part of his brain could not let go of the fact that Kate and Tony would be spending the evening together. He needed to remind himself that he had civilized motives.

Stupid lizard brain.

Now he was stuck here, in a fancy restaurant with small, uppity food and a woman whose name kept slipping his mind. They had met at the super-market right? Or was she the one his sister had set him up with?

Honestly, he couldn't really remember.

It had been a really bad idea to go out tonight but he couldn't very well take it out on Laura…or was it Laurie?

Gibbs motioned toward the waiter to come over. "Scotch, Glenfiddich, and make it a double." He looked over at her and went for broke, "Laura, would you like anything?"

"It's Laurie and I'll have a glass of white wine." His date answered, smiling a little too sweetly.

Damn. Wrong again. If he'd had it in him he would have tried to look remotely embarrassed…but he didn't. Three ex-wives could do that to you.

"So Jethro, would you like to tell me what's on your mind tonight? You seem like your somewhere else." Laurie asked him, trying not to let the hurt from him getting her name wrong seep into her voice.

"Nope." Gibbs answered, cringing at her use of his first name.

"Nope, you aren't somewhere else or nope, you don't want to tell me?" She asked, folding her hands under her chin expectantly.

"Both." Gibbs replied and watched her lower her eyes to the napkin in her lap.

He just couldn't do anything right today it seemed.

"Laurie why don't you tell me more about what you do." Gibbs continued, making an effort to soften the tone of his voice.

He really hoped this wasn't the latest attempt at matchmaking by his sister because if it was, he was sure to get an earful from her tomorrow about his abominable behavior. And he was equally sure that he would be nursing a king-size hangover at that time and be in no mood to defend his actions.

Hell, he didn't have a defense. There were times when the "bastard" label was just spot on.

He let his eyes wander to his watch, almost Twenty Two Hundred. Yeah, it was safe to say that Kate and Tony had started their date by now. Hadn't he?

Laurie droned on, her hands gesturing with clear excitement about her subject, but Gibbs wasn't listening. His gaze had landed on the back of a brunette seated at the bar, who while NOT Kate, reminded him of her. Reminded him that some wrong choices left you in a lot worse place than others…and that he had only himself to blame.

His drink arrived and he threw it back in one swoop, ordering another before the waiter could even set down his date's glass of wine.

* * *

**Across town**

The night was perfect. A near full moon lit up the sky and the air was just chilly enough to give every lover around an excuse to snuggle even closer.

Inside the apartment there were no lights on…just the faint glow from the moon through the curtains and the flickering warmth from the two candles lit on the mantle.

"Ohhhhh, yeah…come on, faster! Like that! Ahhhhhhhh! Yes! Yes!" she screamed.

"Noooooo, not yet! I wasn't ready!" he yelled back.

Silence followed, until she let out a long sigh and spoke.

"Oh fine you big baby. Let's do it again…but 5 bucks says I'll still beat you."


	16. I know You Are, But What Am I

Ok – I know I haven't updated in forever but I found this on my PC and it made me laugh. It's VERY short but I thought I would post it anyway. Let me know if people are still interested in a Tony/Kate story and I'll continue. All the standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

**Still Across Town**

"What do you mean that you'll still beat me?! Do I have to remind you that this is the 7th game that we've played tonight and the FIRST time that YOU actually won?" He retorted.

Behind her 3D glasses Abby smiled. She secretly loved it when Timmy got all riled up.

She pulled her glasses off, pigtails swaying, and set down her joystick.

"Well Timmy, that's not technically true. In the 3rd game you totally cheated because just when I was going in for the big score you gave me _the_ look."

Timothy sputtered and threw down his joystick. "I, **I, **cheated?"

Abby just smiled some more, grabbed her big gulp and nodded her head, making "ummhuhs" between sips.

"YOU who puts her feet in my lap, low in my lap, every time I'm about to completely take you out of the game! But I'm the cheater? I should never have introduced you to Butcher Bay, NEVER!! It's not for GIRLS." He finished, crossing arms.

Diet Dr. Pepper spewed all over him as Abby choked on the entire contents of her last sip.

"Oh my god, this is my X-Files t-shirt!!" He squealed, jumping up to grab a towel from the hall closet as Abby proceeded to follow him, poking him in the back.

"Take it back Timothy. Right now, take it back!" She told him in her best scolding voice.

"I will not." He replied. "I think this shirt is ruined…" He continued, sounding like he'd just lost his best friend.

"Oh PLEASE, don't be such a BOY. Give it to me." Abby rolled her eyes while pulling the hem of his shirt up over his chest.

Timothy protested, trying to keep his shirt on. "Hey, I'm mad at you. Stop it!"

Abby stood back, hands on her hips, and looked at him. "No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No you're NOT."

"Yes I AM."

"Prove it!"

Abby told him, poking him one more time in the chest to make her point, and then proceeded to run back the way they had come. A small giggle escaped her as her Timmy took up hot pursuit.

She wasn't about to let Kate and Tony be the only ones getting some tonight.


End file.
